<p>Before my kids left for college, I made sure they knew how to use a washing machine. So, when S called me last Sunday, saying his clothes turned pink after he washed them, I was baffled.
Then I remember how vain he is.
S wears glasses; he can't read without them. However he hates to wear them in public. So last Sunday was the first time he washed his clothes ( of course without his glasses).
Apparently, prior to Sunday he will con a girl he knows to wash his clothes. He will flatter her by telling her how well she did her laundry.
He was inspired by La Fontaine poem "The Raven and the Fox" :)
However, last Sunday, the girl decided it was time for him to do his own laundry (yeah).</p>
<p>I forgot to show my daughter how to write a check. We literally got her checking account days before she let , thinking she would only use the VISA check card…little did we know that she would be needing her checkbook 6 months later</p>
<p>Apparently, my phone number.</p>
<p>Oh hkfl that made me laugh out loud…first year student?</p>
<p>S had a minor medical incident which required him to make numerous dr appointments and filling out paperwork. He never really had the experience of having to make his own appointments and such. I had to guide him along the way. Good learning experience.</p>
<p>hkfl2922, that just makes my day!</p>
<p>Yea, my kids never had experience with dealing with making appointments or the health center either. S has learned to deal with it, but 1st he called us & asked us about his EYE, which hurt! H was able to help him analyze it & after a few days we were able to get him to have someone at his school look at it, since we’re 2500 miles away.</p>
<p>S has gotten quite independent & D’s friends are so I think D will become more independent as we go too.</p>
<p>The thing I clearly forgot to tell them was not to call weekly for more money:)</p>
<p>The chicken must be completely thawed before roasting…especially when cooking for guests.</p>
<p>If the label on a salami says “Refrigerate after opening,” it is OK to cut open the package and eat it regardless of whether or not you refrigerated it before opening.</p>
<p>(My son recently e-mailed me from graduate school to ask about this.)</p>
<p>Also, if you buy a drink from a vending machine, drink it, and then discover that its expiration date was 2 months ago, you are not likely to die (but you really should have looked at the date before drinking it).</p>
<p>(This happened to both of my kids.)</p>
<p>I did not forget and keep on reminding my D (who does not need any reminders in this area) to keep in mind why she is in college - to be able to obtain profession of her choice. As a second priority I pointed out that she better enjoy herself doing that, if not, it is not worth it. Besides that, everything else seems to be very unimportant. I see kids who are way better than my D in house chores like laundry, cooking, cleanning and so forth are not as successful overall in college because they do not possess as good work ethics and social skills. Working hard and being surronded with friends is a sure way to be successful in college.</p>
<p>The #1 factor to academic success is class attendance. Do not miss a class. Showing up is 80% of success.</p>
<p>hkfl - I hope your offspring inherited your sense of humor!</p>
<p>I forgot to tell my son to remember his pillow. Fortunately he’s less than an hour away so it just seemed like camping for a week until we brought that and a few other things to him!</p>
<p>I don’t think my son has written a check yet. I’m not even sure he has checks. I’ll have to ask him that. If he’s managed for 3 1/2 years away at college without writing a check that tells you something about how things have changed since our time at school.</p>
<p>Marian, the salami thing is something my kids would worry about. Were we that clueless at that age? :)</p>
<p>Archiemom, I can see my daughter needing the same reminder…</p>
<p>Kathyc: It never entered my mind to specifically point it out. Luckily for him, we were the guests. He was so thrilled that we were visiting his off-campus house and he planned this elaborate dinner our first night in-town. He was sooooooo disappointed when the chicken wasn’t cooked after two hours and then horrified when he cut into it and it was still raw and then embarrassed to tell us that he had put it in the oven partially frozen.</p>
<p>Good thing he’s a rocket scientist and not in hospitality management.</p>
<p>re the chicken roasting: Remove the bag of giblets before cooking too and if you aren’t into eating any of them give the to a stray cat.</p>
<p>archiemom - is your son really a rocket scientist? Wow!</p>
<p>LIMom: Well, hopefully some day…at least that’s what we think we’re paying for. Other days it appears that he will end up a professional juggler 
(his latest idea for summer employment this year).</p>
<p>archiemom: please don’t be offended but your screen name always reminds me of my first boxer puppy. A Christmas present form my then bf, now H, his name was Archie and I loved that dog tremendously. so when I see your posts I always smile :)</p>